Norfolk Botanical Gardens Wedding - Ashanti and Steven

Preparations / Getting Ready = words many brides (I’ve spoken with) equate with getting photographed in their underwear, stepping into the dress. I have less interest in that than the bride does, trust me. Preparations are EXTREMELY important to the way I like to cover a wedding however. Why?

Because being present for preparations gives me a chance to shoot the little details that you’ll probably not see, because you will be too busy to look and take everything in. It allows me to show you all that finery that you’ve pulled together to wear at your wedding through an unhurried, patient eye. I know when to make myself scarce during preparations and avoid the dreaded “underwear shot”. You don’t want to see them, I don’t want to shoot them. But, I DO want to shoot images of your dress. (before you get into it)

And, I like to get shots of things like the shoes you may have had a hard time deciding on and the rings if I can get access to them.

While I’m doing these images, the bride is generally getting ready, and I can’t see her 99.99% of the time. These are private moments
and I don’t like to intrude on them. What I do like to intrude on once everyone is covered up is the final adjustments and putting on
the jewelry and accessories. Things like that usually yield images brides that I’ve worked with love to have.

So, my advice is: never pass up preparation / getting ready images on your wedding day. You may have an understanding of what they are that my not be what I’ve got in mind. I’m there to document the wedding day, not take pictures of you in your underthings.

Steven and Ashanti’s wedding was fabulous! What a great day! I can’t say enough how much I appreciate being treated like family. It was truly a blessing to be part of the day.

Ashanti arrives at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and waits in the Limo for the ceremony to begin.

The family appointed wedding coordinator (who had everything running like a well oiled machine) gives final instructions.

Steven and the rest of the guys hide appropriately from the wedding coordinator. (we men are good at that kind of thing!)

Steven’s Mom is a Minister, and she was the officiant at the ceremony.

The Ceremony begins, and Steven and his Mom watch the processional get underway. She performed such a great ceremony, I wonder if she does other weddings for her church? (I guess I’ll just ask them!)

The girls lined up and ready to take the walk down the aisle. The guys met them halfway down the aisle to hand them their bouquets, then escorted
them back up the rest of the aisle. That was a nice touch.

Steven and Ashanti’s son prepares to walk the aisle as the bible carrier. Steven waits to see Ashanti appear from the right at the Japanese
gardens at the Norfolk botanical gardens. That was a great ceremony site. Nice view of the perennial gardens below too.

Live music filled the garden and Here comes Ashanti and her Father.

Let us pray. (and everyone did, not just Steven and Ashanti. You couldn’t here a pin drop during the opening prayer, and the reverence of the moment was really nice. I think the planes at the airport stopped flying when Steven’s Mom gave the word. )

I’m going to close with this image because this post is just getting way too long and out of control. I caught a great sequence of the candle lighting, but this last one with all Steven and Ashanti’s children helping to light the unity candle really struck me. This young man was going
to see to that candle being lit, and he wasn’t going to let go of that lighter until the job was done.

The rest of the wedding went wonderfully as did the reception! Stay tuned for more posts on the many events that I have yet to post here. I’ve still got ALOT of catching up to do. (not to mention the wedding I shot this past Saturday at Hampton Yacht Club).